Argentine legend Diego Maradona and former Italian footballer Roberto Baggio played alongside a host of ex-football stars in an inter-religious charity match that was backed by Pope Francis on Monday.

The Argentine pope, an avid soccer fan, did not attend the match but reportedly had an audience with both teams earlier in the day and also broadcast a message on the big screens at Rome's Olympic Stadium ahead of kickoff, New York Daily News reported.

The idea for the game arose during an audience former Argentina great Javier Zanetti had with Francis last year. As well as promoting peace, the game raised money for at-risk kids.

The two teams were named after Scholas Occurrentes, an educational entity launched by the pope, and Zanetti's Pupi foundation.

Pupi recovered from two goals down at halftime to win 6-3 in an entertaining match, with the highlight of the game being Maradona's delightful lobbed pass that set up Baggio's goal, the report added.